LIVERMORE — A former San Jose Earthquakes soccer player has returned to his hometown of Livermore to help build what he hopes will be some of the best fields in Northern California.

It’s more than just a field of dreams. Troy Dayak has offered the Livermore Area Recreation and Park District $300,000 to kick-start the project. The money would come from the Livermore Youth Soccer League, which has been saving money for such a project for years.

Dayak, who serves as technical director for the soccer league, has explained to district officials that Livermore could have a state-of-the-art soccer complex at Robertson Park. The complex would attract people from all over the United States for tournaments and soccer events.

Converting the fields to artificial turf also would allow for year-round play and would generate revenue for the district.

Supporters would have to score many goals before the project could commence — especially in the area of fund-raising. Although the league has offered its own savings for the project, converting the fields to turf and building a concession stand and new parking lot would cost nearly $1.5 million, according to a preliminary analysis by park officials.

The district’s facilities subcommittee will begin consideration of the idea at a meeting on Monday. The subcommittee meeting, which is open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. at the Robert Livermore Community Center.

Dayak, who retired as a player after this year’s season with the Earthquakes, was appointed technical director of the Livermore league in June. He participated in the league while growing up in Livermore, and later played professinally in a variety of leagues for 16 years.

Dayak also serves as coach for the Major Indoor Soccer League’s California Cougars, based in Stockton. He lives on a farm in Tracy, where he also owns a soccer-related store.

If his plans for Livermore go forward, it could be the most significant change to local soccer in more thana decade. In 1987, voters approved Proposition G, providing the district with $2.2 million to build the soccer complex on the southeast side of Robertson Park. The complex opened in 1993, and it includes two lighted sand-based fields.The idea of building fields with turf is intriguing to district officials. While installation costs are higher, turf would not require as much labor to maintain and it would drain well, allowing the fields to be used in wet and dry weather.

I think it is the wave of the future to install artificial turf on soccer fields, said Tim Barry, general manager of the park district.

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